August 3rd 2016 | Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida
The opening video package recaps the four men who advanced last week, Zack Sabre Jr., Drew Gulak, Tony Nese and the Brian Kendrick.
Corey Graves takes us to the updated brackets before we get any actual action tonight.
Rich Swann def. Jason Lee in 3:44
Jason Lee represented China, while Rich Swann is there for the USA. Lee did not seem pleased with Swann's pre-match dancing. The crowd sung "All Night Long" for Swann at the bell. Jason Lee looked great early on until Swann nailed a big rana and rolling frog splash for two. Lee fell to a big 450 splash from Swann. I was not happy this was so short. They had a really good chemistry and Lee looked way better than his fellow China counterpart, Ho Ho Lun. Swann winning was the right move since he's under contract, but I would have rather he beat Lun and Lee go over on the first night. Swann meets Lince in the next round. ***
Noam Dar def. Gurv Sihra in 5:25
At 22, Dar is the youngest man in the tournament. Sihra is from India, while Dar is from Scotland. Like his brother earlier in the tourney, Gurv showed some personality early on. Gurv aggressively whipped Dar into the corner, so Dar responded with one of his own. Dar hit some dropkicks, including one in the corner for a near fall. Before a move off the second rope, Gurv acts like he's filming a movie and it costs him as Dar moved. He hit a fisherman suplex for two and went right into a kneebar that made Gurv tap. Decent at best. Dar looked alright but I still haven't been overly impressed by him. Dar meets Ho Ho Lun in round two. **
Jack Gallagher def. Fabian Aichner in 6:44
Gallagher represented England and Aichner is from Italy. Aichner must be all of the 205 pounds because he looks pretty jacked. Aichner played the strong man but Gallagher was very impressive with his technique and mat work. Bryan pointed out that he's outweighed by 40 points as he nonchalantly cartwheeled out of harm's way. Aicher tried a springboard kick and it came off awkwardly. We got a series of near falls and Aichner hit a big backbreaker. He did a lot better with a double springboard moonsault for two. Aichner also found a way to nail a huge powerbomb but Gallagher kicked out again. Gallagher avoided a headbutt and hit a dope corner dropkick to advance. While the dropkick was great, it felt a bit anti-climactic after all of Aichner's offense. One of the best first round matches for sure. Aichner looked impressive at times and Gallagher got to show off his resiliency and mat skills. In round two, he takes on Tozawa. ***1/2
Johnny Gargano def. Tommaso Ciampa in 10:46
Both guys rep the States. Ciampa from Milwaukee and Gargano from Cleveland. Both guys got interviewed beforehand. Dueling "Psycho Killer"/"Johnny Wrestling" chants. Their early wrestling exchanges ended when Ciampa delivered a vicious elbow that sent spit flying everywhere. From there on, these guys just hit each other hard. Ciampa especially stated killing Gargano with shots. He hit an air raid crash on the apron and removed his knee pad for a big knee. Remembering it is his friend, Ciampa decided against it and walked into a superkick. Ciampa came back with a vicious powerbomb lungblower combo that somehow got a near fall. Gargano looked out of it and tried to trade shots but Ciampa won out there with sick shots. Gargano ducked one and they rolled around on the mat where Gargano finally got a crucifix for the victory. Great work from both guys. Not on was it hard hitting, but they told a great story. Ciampa was brutal, but held back just enough at times to not injure his friend and partner. They knew each other well enough to counter constantly. Gargano also came across as the most resilient of babyfaces. Gargano takes on TJ Perkins in the second round. Best match of the first round. ****
Gargano offered a handshake to Ciampa, who walked away in frustration. He ended up turning back and sitting in the middle of the ring with Gargano before hugging him.
Next week, Tajiri vs. Gran Metalik and Cedric Alexander vs. Kota Ibushi in our first 2nd round match.
Overall: 8/10. Another good episode of the Cruiserweight Classic. The first two matches are nothing to write home about really. The opener was fun but too short and the Noam/Gurv match disappointed. It's the final two that really take this to the next level. Gallagher/Aichner was way better than expected and Gargano/Ciampa was all kinds of awesome.
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